Middleboro was the South Shore’s lone state champ in softball last spring, claiming the Division 3 crown with a 15-3 victory over Norton. Standing alone was kind of a theme of the Sachems’ postseason drive as they became the first girls team to win a championship in the school’s 100-plus-year history.
Archbishop Williams narrowly missed out on its own title shot as the Bishops were denied in the Div. 4 semifinals by eventual champ Joseph Case.
Silver Lake made the next-deepest playoff run, advancing to the Div. 2 quarterfinals only to run into top-seeded Westfield.
Bridgewater-Raynham (Div. 1) and Abington (Div. 4) made it to their respective Round of 16s. Eleven other South Shore teams won preliminary round games but lost in the Round of 32.
Already this spring we’ve seen some memorable performances such as Southeastern’s Becca Hornung striking out 17 batters vs. Blue Hills; Hingham’s Jess Mulrey throwing out 3 would-be base-stealers vs. Scituate; and East Bridgewater’s Maggie Schlossberg reaching 400 career strikeouts.
More: WHERE WE ENDED IN 2023: These state champs made history: South Shore high school softball rankings
More: Strikeout artists meet power hitters: 90 South Shore softball Players to Watch this season
Here’s our first Top 10 ranking of the season. Records as of Tuesday morning and last year’s final ranking in parenthesis.
On the bubble: Hingham (2-2), Marshfield (2-1), Pembroke (4-2), Notre Dame Academy (3-1), East Bridgewater (3-2), Norwell (3-2), Fontbonne Academy (4-2), Rockland (3-2), South Shore Tech (3-1)
10. Weymouth (6-2, NR)
The Wildcats are a great story. They won only three games in 2023 but have gotten off to a fast start this season, fueled by a talented freshman class that includes shortstop/leadoff hitter Bella Pires, who hit .490 last spring as an eighth-grade All-Scholastic pick. Weymouth has suffered heavy losses to Braintree and Walpole, but this is a team on the rise. Freshman pitcher Maddie Smith already has thrown a no-hitter (vs. Randolph) in a game in which she also drove in 6 runs.
9. Braintree (3-2, 10)
The Wamps’ two losses have come against Abington (7-0) and Walpole (7-1) and they’ve scored wins over Newton North (3-1) and Weymouth (6-2). Braintree is relying on three returning All-Scholastic stars in senior outfielder/pitcher Gabby Diaute, junior second baseman Catherine McPhee and senior shortstop/catcher Eva Surette. Diaute is hitting .476 with a team-best 9 RBIs; she hit for the cycle against Franklin while pitching 5-plus innings of scoreless relief. McPhee is hitting .391.
8. Middleboro (4-1, 1)
The Sachems feature almost an entirely new lineup this spring with senior captain Cristina Chane, in right field, the lone holdover from last year’s Div. 3 state champions. Sophomore pitcher Taryn Clancy has the unenviable task of replacing three-time South Shore League MVP Cassidy Machado in the circle, but she’s off to a good start — she had 28 strikeouts and one run allowed over her first two starts. Freshman catcher Taylynn Robinson had a pair of triples in a 3-hit day in a win over Norwell.
7. Hanover (3-2, 8)
The Hawks return four All-Scholastics off last year’s 15-7 club — senior center fielder Kaelyn Chase (.622, Patriot League Fisher Division MVP), senior third baseman McKenzie Foley (.449, 20 RBIs), junior shortstop Noey Giardina (.493, 40 RBIs) and junior catcher Abby Hanna (.537, 34 RBIs). So far, Hanover has split with Plymouth North (Chase was 4-for-4 with a double and a triple in the win), lost to Plymouth South and beaten NDA and Whitman-Hanson. Erin Condon and Hanna each had 3 hits and 2 RBIs on Monday vs. W-H.
6. Plymouth South (4-0, NR)
The Panthers are off to a great start with wins over Duxbury, Hanover, Whitman-Hanson and Scituate. Tuesday’s town showdown with Plymouth North (2-4) should be a good one. South is led by three-time Patriot League All-Star catcher Lauren Trostel, who hit .561 last spring with 23 RBIs. Coach Steph Finn calls her a “true leader both on and off the field.” South is a combined 22-18 over the last two seasons but might be aiming higher this spring.
5. Milton (5-0, NR)
Local Bay State Conference teams are 3-for-3 in making this list. Milton appears to be following Weymouth’s path in reinventing itself, although last year’s 7-10 team did make the playoffs. Milton’s highlight so far was handing Walpole its lone loss, 4-3, on April 10. Christina McA’Nulty had a huge day (3-for-4, 4 RBIs, 3 runs) in a blowout win over North Attleboro, and Shakura Lynch, Sadie Steuterman, MK Maloney, Cara Facey and Abby Hunt all have contributed. Milton visits Braintree on Wednesday.
4. Bridgewater-Raynham (3-3, 4)
The Trojans were 18-4 last season and made it to the Div. 1 Round of 16. They’ve already lost three times this spring, but two of those losses came against Walpole and King Philip, each of whom are off to 7-1 starts. B-R also has two wins over Plymouth North and one against Greater New Bedford Voke. Talia Faria has been hot at the plate with a combined 4 hits and 5 RBIs across the two Plymouth North games, plus a 3-hit day vs. GNBV. Lily Berman chipped in with 4 hits in one of the Plymouth North wins.
3. Silver Lake (4-2, 3)
The Lakers have been no-hit twice by elite competition (Dighton-Rehoboth and Lincoln-Sudbury) but have had little trouble in their four wins, outscoring those opponents 54-2. Junior Delaney Moquin is one of the best pitchers on the South Shore and is looking to build on an outstanding sophomore season (15-2, 1.37 ERA) in which she was named Patriot League Keenan MVP. She also hit .518 last spring with 41 RBIs and should form a potent 1-2 punch with junior first baseman Madyson Bryan (.520, 74 career RBIs). Tuesday’s matchup with Hanover should be fun.
2. Archbishop Williams (6-1, 2)
Is there a player in the area with a higher ceiling than sophomore Jill Ondrick? She struck out 16 against St. Mary’s (3-0 win), 15 against Bishop Stang (3-1 win) and 13 against Bishop Feehan (3-2 win). She hit a 2-run homer against St. Mary’s and a solo shot vs. Stang. Par for the course after a stellar freshman season in which she hit .589 with 10 homers and 43 RBIs and was 10-2 with a 1.15 ERA. She’s getting plenty of help from the likes of Ciara McMenamin (walk-off hit vs. Fenwick), Joey Whitney and fellow returning All-Scholastic Alyssa Burke, who hit. 500 last season.
1. Abington (7-0, 9)
Like clockwork, the Green Wave are here again in our Top 10. After going 14-8 a year ago, they’ve come flying out of the gate with wins over Whitman-Hanson (twice), Braintree, Pembroke, Carver, Hingham and Cohasset. Returning All-Scholastics Kasie Bailey and Brenna Howley predictably have been front and center; the two combined to go 9-for-11 in one of the W-H wins. Bailey had the lone hit in the other win over the Panthers but made it count with a 2-run single in the first. New pitcher Elsie Testa has been sharp, including a 12-strikeout game vs. Whitman-Hanson and a 13-strikeout game vs. Cohasset.
